St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-17
The National Railway Com
mission Hears the MAN.
kato Mems Compliant.
That the Rates Which They
Get We're Not Fair
and Reasonable.
Manager Hanley. Mr.. Trues-
dale and Senator Pope
Have a Dialogue.
The Commission Took in the
Fair and Some Of
the Races.

the Races.
The interstate railroad commission
held brief session yesterday noon in
the hall of the chamber of commerce.
Commissioners Cooley, Morrison, Bragg,
Walker and Schoonmaker were all sit
ting. The famous complaint of the
Mankato Businessmen'S association that
the charges of the Minneapolis 81 st.
Louis, between Mankato and Chicago,
were. unreasonable as compared with the
rates between the two cities of st. Paul
and Minneapolis and Chicago, was taken
up. Senator i. nj. Popeappearedonb
of the Business Mems association, and
General Manager Truesdale for the
railroad company The commissioners
informed the advocates of the respective
sides of the question that it would be
more convenient to have testimony pro-
duced in the form of affidayIts. John
III. Hanley, traffic manager OF the Min
neSota q Northwestern, was called as
witness by Mr.. Pope to SubStantlate the
charge of unreasonable rates. He was
the only witness. The interesting dia-
logue between MeSSrS. Pope and TrueS-
dale, who asked the questions and
/.
was about all that came before the COM
mission.
Il wish to ask you if you recognize the
paper shown you as the present existing tariff
on different classes OF merchandise from
Chicago to St. Paul and stations intermediate
Oh the respective lines?''
Commissioner Cooley-We know what
those are. You may leave copy here when
you get through.
81 wish to ask You if in your judgement the
between Chicago and st. Paul, not including
the rate which upon some lines is 712 cents
saying nothing about that-speaking OF other
classes of general merchandise, II they are
reasonable rates?"
Il think they are
Il wish to ask you if in your opinion those
rates are fairly remunerative to the railroad
companies who are using them!'
Il think they are.
BY Mr. Truesdale-''What is the distance
on your line between Chicago and Minneap-
oliS?''
-Four hundred and twenty miles; we run
over the Illinois Central now, which makes
1t d few miles longer than that; probably
42S: 420 miles is our mileage proper
Would you consider the rates, to which
Mr.. Pope has called your attention, between
Chicago and Minneapolis and st. Paul over
the distance of 420 miles to be reasonable
rates for a distance of 4S3 miles?n
well, l am not prepared to state as to
that
Generally. would you fix higher rates for
the greater distance:
IF it was absolutely in our control we
would
Suppose the city of Mankato to be city
of II, 900 people, and the two cities of st.
Paul and Minneapolis combined to have a
population of $50 900 to 275, 900 people, the
city of Mankato having four lines to compete
with the business the cities OF st. Panl and
Minneapolis six lines, would you not consid-
er in making YOUR tariff rates that you would
o
ness, ETC., in making higher rates to Mankato
than to st. Paul and minneapolis? Would
not the volume of business enter into the
consideration'of the matterg'
1.-THE volume or business would probably
enter into the consideration of the matter,
but if both towns were the same distance
from the point of shipment j should consider
that the town of II, 600 population should
be treated as well as the town of 200, 9Oo.''
How far is Des Moines from Chicago by
your line?'
Three hundred and seventy-two miles,
''Can you make as low rates between Chi
cago and Des. MoineS as you do between Chi
cage and St. Paul and Minneapolis?n
Eve think the rates would not be so high
between Chicago and Des Moines.'
.sDeu-t you make them higher now?''
'sGur present tart is higher
about what percentages"
''Well. that can not tell without the fig
ures but think that the rate from Chicago
to Des Moires should not be any higher than
Il will ask you one more question, Mr..
Hanley Is it fact that in fixing your tariff
between Chicago and st. Paul and Minneap-
OILS, you did so very largely, and was gov
erned in doing SO, by the competition of Lake
Superior and the Mississippi river to Eastern
points
''Well, we were governed to some extent
by the competition by way of the lake, but in
making our rates we went over the situation
very carefully, and we concluded, on con-
sideration. to adopt the present rates in force
as fair and reasonable rates. OF course we
took into consideration to considerable eX
tent the volume of business that we would
move upon those rates..
BY MI. Pope-I have here Mr. Hanley, the
distance tariff by the Minneapolis d. st. Louis
railroad you can tell me if 1 am correct in
saying that your company uses the same
tariff?
Il believe there is very little difference be-
tween our tariff and that"
Il also have here the Illinois state commits
sioners' distance tariff; using those as refer
ence, will you tell us what percentage of diff
ference would probably apply to a distance
of sixty miles when placed at the end of
400 mile route-that is, if a rate Of SO cents
is made for 400 miles, what rate, proportion
ately. should be made for a distance of AGO
miles?''
Il don't know that / can answer that ques-
ton; 1 don't believe | can"
Mr.. Pope-fery we'll we will offer the dis
lance tariffs themselves as evidence
''Mr. Hanley, you were engaged in the traf-
fic business last year,
ssYes. sir
sAnd for years prerious?'
Yes sir
SIS it, or is it not a fact that the average
rates last year were lower than this present
rate established by you between these
pointss'
1.-The rates between Chicago and Minneap-
oils and ST. Paul were lower, but The average
rates between Chicago and intermediate
points were not.''
SIN the letter which I showed you. and
which you say is official, you state that these
rates are 25 per cent. higher than the rates
which existed last summer, and that those
rates were nominal rates, while these rates
are supposed to be the actual rates. is that
25 per cent. increase of these rates over those
which prevailed last year, when supple
mented by an estimate of rates for the last
year. fair estimate of the difference?''
We'll can't say that the rates were ex-
actly 25 per cent. below; but % per cent. is
not very far from the amount
By Mr. Truesdall-"rThat referred to rates
made to Lake Superior, and not to tariff
rates.
.'Yes, that referred to rates made by rebate
and otherwise, and the rates were made of
course on account of the sharp competition
of the new lines.'
And by Lake SUPERIOR
''And by Lake Superior
1.-THE tariff rates were not much lower?''
- L1,.At H. -